- When I look back on,
when I first became a parent to a newborn,
I really wish people had told me the information
I'm going to share with you in this video,
because it would've made parenting a newborn
significantly easier.
And it would have also given me the confidence
to tell those people who are being
really generous in giving you information
that maybe what they're telling me,
isn't that correct.
So in this video,
I'm going to cover the information, you must know
when you're a new parent for the very first time.
But before I do, make sure you click
on that free PDF document in the description box below,
which covers the developmental milestones,
you can be expecting for your little one
in their first year of life.
This will give an invaluable peace of mind
as you'll know when to be expecting skills
and when to be concerned.
So the first thing I think is important to know
is that all newborns are communicating with you already.
Instead of using words though,
your baby is using facial expressions and body cues,
to tell you four different things,
either that they're hungry, they're tired,
they want to play, or they need a break.
Once, you know and can identify these subtle cues
within your baby,
parenting a newborn is going to be significantly easier
and your relationship with your baby will become stronger.
And that is because you are able to read your baby well.
They will start to feel less stressed, more safe and secure.
The second thing that all parents need to know
is that sucking a finger or a hand
is actually really calming for a baby
and that is because when a baby sucks your finger
or their own hand or toy, the brain releases the hormones,
Dopamine, Serotonin and Endorphins,
which have a calming and soothing effect.
Now unfortunately, babies can't actually
put their hands into their mouth
because they don't yet have the strength
until around three months of age.
But you can actually give your baby
a clean finger to suck on,
or you can actually help them put their own hand
into their mouth when they become upset,
because it will help calm them down.
Now, the therapeutic information
that I think all new parents need to know
is that babies do not sleep well in a loud bright room.
I know we often get told that babies
need to be able to sleep in a loud, bright,
unpredictable environment,
because it means they're going
to be adaptable in the future.
But babies are little humans
and research shows that humans of all ages,
sleep best in a dark room,
which is cool and has limited noise.
Honestly, how well would you sleep
if you were lying in the lounge?
And I was in the kitchen, banging pots and pans,
and answering to a screaming child,
you're not going to sleep well
and that's the same as our babies.
The added difficulties that babies have
is that they find it really difficult
to filter out information
and they get easily overstimulated.
And when they get over tired,
it becomes significantly more difficult
to put them to sleep.
Now, I know you will hear from people that say,
my baby's always slept in a really noisy room,
they could fall asleep
and I could vacuum underneath the cot.
And that might've been the case.
But what that baby is doing
is actually habituating,
which is where basically they're working really, really hard
to fall asleep and then stay asleep.
And if you actually watch their little one,
when they're sleeping,
you will notice that every time there's a loud,
unpredictable noise, that baby is going to startle.
So their arms will fling out to their side.
They'll cry and they'll bring their hands back to the middle
and that can actually wake them up from their nap.
And when they wake up from their nap in general,
after habituating,
they are generally a lot more cranky
because basically they are working hard.
They haven't had a peaceful, rejuvenating sleep.
Rather they've worked hard to try and stay asleep
and then they've woken up and they're cranky.
So if you are told that your baby
really should be sleeping in a bright, loud room,
maybe depending on your mood,
you might nod, or you might tell them, no thank you,
that's not necessarily correct.
It's better than sleeping in a dark, quiet room.
Now the fourth bit of information,
which is really important for all new parents to know
is that all babies go through a period of purple crying.
So that is at two weeks of age,
your baby is going to start crying
in the afternoons or evenings.
You'll have no idea why,
and you'll find it really difficult to soothe them.
Initially it might only be for a short period of time,
but by six to eight weeks of age,
that time that they are crying for
and unsettled for will increase.
And then after six to eight weeks,
your baby's time that they're crying for
will start to reduce and go by three to four months of age.
So if you're a parent returning home
from work in the afternoons,
you would generally arrive to a baby who is crying
and really they want to be with that main caregiver.
Your baby does still like you.
They are just going through that period of purple crying.
And it is a hard time, but it will pass.
You also need to know that you can actually
do tummy time from day one.
You don't need to wait until your baby is strong enough,
or they're not going to cry in tummy time.
And you're not actually going to hurt them.
All babies cry, generally in tummy time.
They don't initially like it.
And honestly, you're not going to like it either,
but it is important to push through.
And over time as your baby gets stronger,
it will become a lot more enjoyable for you and your baby.
Now, the next bit of information
is often quite new for parents
who have multiple babies
or parents of a newborn.
And that is all high chairs are too big for babies.
No matter when you start feeding your baby solids
for the first time,
whether or not it's at four months or six months,
the high chair is going to be too big.
Your baby is going to fall to the side
because the seat itself is too wide.
Your baby's feet are going to be hanging
and they're not going to have support,
which is going to impact how well they sit
and their arms are going to be up near their shoulders.
So it's going to be hard to play and interact with that food
and also see the food.
Now, all of these factors have a significant impact
on how successful your baby is going to be at eating
and also how willing they got to be at staying
in that high chair for meals.
So you really need to make sure when you're starting
to give your baby solids,
that you put them in that highchair
and ensure that it fits them well.
So you will need to give them additional support.
Now, if you want information on how you can do that,
then make sure you check out the link above.
And lastly, babies do not need jolly jumpers,
baby floor seats, exersaucers or baby walkers.
And that is because these pieces of equipment
place your baby in positions
that they're not yet able to do independently
and can lead to developmental delays
and significant injuries.
What your baby actually needs at this age is really you
and only a few toys like the baby gym, Oball, a rattle
and a tactile, touch and feel book.
Now if you want further information
on how to read your newborn cues,
then make sure you check out this video.
And if you want information on
how to adjust that high chair,
so it will fit your baby well
and make mealtimes, a hell of a lot easier,
then check out this video.
Remember to click on that free PDF document.
And hopefully I'll see next week
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.